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FEDERAL EPA ISSUES NOTICE OF DETERMINATION FOR CASCO BAY Maine Marine Sanitation Device Standard Federal Register: June 27, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 123)] Notices ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA-R01-OW-2006-0567; FRL-8189-6] Maine Marine Sanitation Device Standard--Notice of Determination AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: I, the Regional Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency--New England Region, have determined that adequate facilities for the safe and sanitary removal and treatment of sewage from all vessels are reasonably available for the Casco Bay area covered under this determination. For more information click here.
MAINE VESSEL DISCHARGES LAW In January 2006 the Maine Department of Environmental Protection issued a report to the Maine Natural Resources Committee on Small Commercial Passenger Vessel Wastewater Management. The report on graywater discharges from small commercial passenger vessels concludes the following. Recommendations: · Do not require small commercial passenger vessel graywater licensing at this time. · Work closely with the US Coast Guard to perform joint sewage system inspections on a subset of small commercial passenger vessels to gather vessel specific waste management information. · Work with the industry to ensure there is adequate pumpout station infrastructure to meet their needs. · Work with the industry to implement voluntary restrictions on graywater discharges in designated No Discharge Areas. The entire report is available for download here. Report to the Natural Resources Committee on Small Commercial Passenger Vessel Wastewater Management. Information for small commercial passenger vessels.
Beginning in January 1, 2006, unlicensed discharges of graywater or combined blackwater and graywater are prohibited pursuant to 38 M.R.S.A 423-D. All large commercial passenger vessels (greater than 500 overnight passengers) that wish to discharge wastewater are required to meet strict discharge standards imposed through a general permit. If you have any concerns or questions, please contact Pam Parker at the MDEP Bureau of Land & Water Quality at 207-287-7905 or Pamela.D.Parker@maine.gov . The "General Permit for Large Commercial Passenger Vessels" (for discharges of graywater or graywater/blackwater mixture to coastal waters of Maine). The public comment period on the draft general permit ended December 19. No comments were received. The general permit has been signed, and is available on the web. Large Commercial Passenger Vessel homepage: http://www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/topic/vessel/LCPV/index.htm Direct link to the part of the page where the text of the general permit is located: http://www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/topic/vessel/LCPV/index.htm#gen See also Ships & Boats Page: http://www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/topic/vessel/index.htm Some supplemental materials, which are not part of the draft general permit, are also included on the site. Some supplemental materials are listed but not yet included because they are still being developed. If an items says "coming soon", that means the MDEP is trying to get it on the site as soon as possible. Definitions.
Terms used in Chapter 650.
AIR EMISSIONS FROM MARINE VESSELS In January 2005 the MDEP Bureau of Air Quality issued a report to the Maine Natural Resources Committee regarding Air Emissions from Marine Vessels. The report suggests that the available inventory and monitoring data do not demonstrate an immediate air quality threat from marine vessels that could justify legislative or regulatory action, the Department does believe that impacts on the local level (not captured in state-or countywide inventories) and the increase in cargo traffic in Portland do give reason to study the issue further and support voluntary initiatives. Staff will take a more thorough look at emissions from marine vessels over the next few years. The Department intends to support NESCAUM's regional effort to designate the Northeast as a sulfur dioxide emission control area under MARPOL Annex VI. Bureau staff will participate in this developing initiative as appropriate. The report recommends that future improvements and installations at Maine's cargo and cruise ports be developed with an eye to how the expansions will impact air quality and how these impacts can be mitigated (shore-based electric power or low-emission cargo handling equipment, for example). _________________________________________________________
CruiseMaine Coalition Salutes Cruise Industry's Environmental Practices In response to recent press regarding proposed environmental legislation in Maine. The Cruise Maine Coalition felt it necessary to bring to light some of the actual laws, practices, procedures and environmental initiatives that the cruise industry already adheres to while they are doing business in Maine.
Many articles have suggested that the cruise industry currently dumps wastewater along our shores. To suggest this is simply to be uneducated about the industry's current practices. All major cruise lines are members of the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL). As a condition of ICCL membership these lines voluntarily agree to waste management practices that exceed the current federal requirements and include a ban on discharges within 4 miles of any coastline unless technically advanced wastewater treatment systems are in use. Black water (sewage waste) is not discharged into the ocean anywhere in the world without being treated by a marine sanitation device, and bilge water is not discharged without being processed through an oily water separator that removes oil content below 15 parts per million.
Cruise ships are regulated by both international treaties and domestic law regarding safety and pollution prevention. This is necessary due to the variety of jurisdictional locations that a cruise ship might enter during a typical cruise. International and Federal regulations provide the guidelines for an environmentally sound operation. These regulations cover air emissions, wastewater, hazardous wastes, oily bilge water, the protection of marine mammal life and coral reefs, as well as the procedures to document and report their compliance.
International Environmental Regulations: • International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) • Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) • International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW)
United States Marine Environmental Regulations: • Title VII Certain Alaskan Cruise Ship Operations • Clean Water Act • Oil Pollution Act • Resources Conservation and Recovery Act • Ocean Dumping Act • Garbage and Refuse Protection Act • Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships • Marine Mammal Protection Act
The cruise industry employs State-of-the-Art Environmental Equipment onboard ICCL Cruise Ships:
• Grinders for food and product waste • Separators fro galley products and recycling • Crushers for glass, aluminum and cardboard materials • Incinerators for food, cardboard, paper and other waste by-products • Sophisticated engine room equipment to reduce or eliminate liquid discharge
Additional equipment onboard some ICCL cruise ships:
• Smokeless gas turbines • Advanced treatment technology for gray water and treated blackwater such as reverse osmosis, microfiltration and ozone oxidation • Special cleaning systems using aluminum chloride to break up emulsions so that processed bilge water is treated at least three times cleaner than international standards • Sophisticated engine designs resulting in lower fuel oil consumption, reduced exhaust emissions, and reduced noise and vibration • Computer software development to assist in environmental monitoring and reporting.
The cruise industry is fully committed to a partnership with the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency in a number of areas including the development and implementation of the EPA's proposed "Blue Cruise Program". This is a federally certified environmental program that will encourage further reductions in both air and waste emissions. The industry also works in concert with the USCG and the International Maritime Organization to ensure compliance with all the required programs.
Environmental studies clearly state that 80% of the coastal water pollution comes from land based sources. That leaves the balance of marine pollution to such things as naturally occurring climatic changes, aquaculture, ships of all types (fishing, recreational, commercial), and other causes. Last year the USCG in Portland reported that nearly 700 large commercial vessels transited through the port; of those ships only 23 or 3% of the entire port traffic was from cruise ships. In total, the cruise industry only represents 0.2% of the world's ship traffic. Additionally, there are countless numbers of ferry, tourism, fishing, and recreational transits in the Portland area.
The Portland Water District discharges some 16.5 million gallons of treated sewage into Portland Harbor every day. At the current level of cruise ship traffic in Portland , it would take five years for all the ships combined to generate the same volume of discharge as Portland produces in one day. When you factor in that only those vessels with advanced treatment systems are actually discharging in Portland harbor the comparison jumps to roughly 30 years of ship discharge to equal one day of the City's discharge. Clearly if Portland has water quality problems, the cruise ships are not the cause.
In June the Holland America vessel MAASDAM will be docked at the Portland Ocean Terminal where they will be hosting an onboard tour for legislators, local government officials, and environmental leaders. The tour will include the ship's wastewater treatment system, bilge waste management system, engine room, trash incinerator and garbage handling facility. Holland America is also considering offering the same tour while the ship is in Bar Harbor . They are eager to educate the public on their environmental programs and like all their counterparts in the industry; they recognize that it is important to be well-received in the communities where they do business.
Let's be fair and give credit where credit is due. The cruise industry deserves acknowledgment for their research and development of new technology and practices. They have invested heavily in new procedures and treatment systems, without the mandate of government regulations. They have also invested in educational training programs for their employees. They have set a standard of excellence unmatched in the marine industry and they maintain that standard on a daily basis. We should all be so dedicated to the environment.
Proposed Environmental Legislation to Regulate Cruise Ship Discharges In the summer of 2002, two Maine Legislators proposed separate bills to the Maine legislature that would regulate wastewater discharges from cruise ships. L.D. 1158, An act to Protect Maine’s Coastal Water, presented by Senator Michael Brennan-D, Portland was tabled in the final hearing. The bill stated visiting ships with overnight accommodations for more than 50 passengers will have to register with the state and test and monitor their wastewater discharges to make sure they comply with new standards for pollutants, such as fecal coliform. Fees, which would range from $75 for smaller vessels to $3750 for the largest ships, would be used to create a Commercial Passenger Vessel Environmental Compliance Funds. Ships that violate the standards would face fines of $500 to $100,000. L.D. 1271, Resolve, to Prohibit the Discharge of Certain Wastewater into Casco Bay, was presented by Representative Herb Adams, D-Portland, if passed, the state and stakeholders from Casco Bay will designate an area around Portland Harbor and seek federal designation as a no-discharge zone, meaning that treated sewage could not legally be discharged from boats and ships there. Also, the state would adopt rules to ban the discharge of gray water in that zone from ships carrying more than 400 passengers. Maine’s LD 1271 (the cruise ship resolve) requires the MDEP to recommend a plan for prohibiting or regulating the discharge of sewage and gray water from vessels into the coastal waters of the State, to the Joint Standing Committee on Natural Resources, no later than November 1, 2003. LD 1271 also requires that the DEP convene a stakeholder group to assist the Department with development of the plan, Amy Powers, Director of CruiseMaine will be on that committee representing the industry in Maine. or more information on this bill, and supplementary materials, please visit the ME DEP site. Official
statement of CruiseMaine regarding potential new legislation: |
